Couple goes to casino after travel plans fall through. Then came a big jackpot

A couple’s vacation plans fell through, leading them to an Arizona casino where they won a life-changing prize.

The husband and wife went to the Gila River Resorts & Casinos, Santan Mountain, on May 3, the casino said in a news release.

But the pair wasn’t supposed to be in town that day.

They had plans to travel to Rocky Point, Mexico, but their dog sitter canceled last minute, the casino said.

As longtime visitors to the casino, they typically go on Sundays. But the wife suggested they go that Saturday instead.

Her husband, an Army veteran, sat at a “Wheel of Fortune” slot machine, bet $10 and won the $1,033,590 jackpot.

“I’m glad I listened to my wife,” the man told the casino. “We didn’t plan on visiting the casino today, but we did, and now we’re leaving big winners.”

The two had played other games that day and were on their way out when they stopped at that lucky slot machine, the casino told McClatchy News by email.

Now, they want to use their winnings to buy a new home and visit their grandkids who don’t live in the state, the casino said.

“Michael’s jackpot is among the largest awarded at Santan Mountain,” the casino said in the release.

Gila River Resorts & Casinos, Santan Mountain, is in Chandler, part of the Phoenix metro area.

Helena Wegner

McClatchy DC

Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.